OTR 2025 Entertainment Schedule
Thursday
Grateful Gary, 9 pm to midnight (Pavilion)
Friday
Shanty Irish, 5 pm to 7 pm (Cooters)
The Red Queen’s Talent Show, 7 pm to 8:30 pm (Pavilion)
Megan Jean’s Secret Family, 9 pm to midnight (Pavilion)
Saturday
JB Stalnaker/Tim White, 12 pm to 4 pm (Pavilion)
The Darkside Experience, 9 pm to midnight (Pavilion)
Sunday
The Jugbusters, 2 pm to 5 pm (River Stage)
Buzzz City, following the Awards Ceremony (Pavilion)
Grateful Gary
OTR 2025 entertainment opens on Thursday evening with Grateful Gary, a solo guitarist and vocalist from the Chicago area whose specialty is Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and other retro/hippie and psychedelic tunes. He has played music at numerous other caver events like NSS Convention, Kentucky Speleofest, MVOR, SERA, and previous OTRs. Gary also is ‘one of us,’ an NSS Life Member, Mammoth Cave Resto Crew member, founder of the Sub-Urban Chicago Grotto, and frequent NSS News contributor. He also puts together the OTR Guidebook every year!
When he’s not on stage and in front of the microphone, Gary is a dedicated OTR volunteer, running the sound, lighting, and video for the rest of the acts appearing on the Pavilion and River Stages. PS – He’s looking for an intern. Please step up if you can help!
The Shanty Irish Band
Everyone enjoys a wee bit of Irish music, and perhaps also a pint of Guinness! What better way to enjoy them both than to check out The Shanty Irish Band. Consisting of friends, cavers, and long-time TRA members, the lads play traditional Irish folk music that dates back to the 18th and 19th Centuries, what would be heard in the so-named ‘singing pubs’ that are scattered throughout Ireland. Many of the songs, shanties, reels, and jigs tell tales of fighting, revolution, love, and the wonders of poitin and porter (whisky and beer). Come join The Shanty Irish Band on Friday at Cooters Pub.
Here is a video of Shanty Irish doing what Shanty Irish does best!
The Red Queen’s Talent Show
Hear ye, hear ye! Calling all talented cavers to the Red Queen’s Talent Show!
Featuring none other than OTR Cavers and Attendees themselves, this will be an event you won’t want to miss! Individual and group acts will take the stage to amuse the Red Queen and her subjects! There may be be singing, dancing, juggling, and more! Bring your chairs to the Pavilion and and prepare to cheer on your friends, family, and fellow cavers!
Prizes will be awarded for those the Red Queen deems to be superior.
Note that this event requires some planning on the part of our talented OTR attendees! Don’t pet the Cheshire Cat or follow the White Rabbit or lick the Caterpillar; instead, do contact your Mad Hatter Jeff Bray to sign up for an evening of fun and shenanigans! Don’t be like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum and wait too long! Sign up now, and maybe the Red Queen will go easy on you!!!!
Sign up by June 30, 2025 at talentshow@otr.org.
As the recent stars of Delfest and Mountain Stage, Megan Jean’s Secret Family comes to us via Japan, NYC, the Carolinas and… wait for it… Frostburg, Maryland, to tap into the Alice theme with soulful originals and classics with spine-chilling vocals that will make you forget about fearing the Jaberwock.
“Megan Jean’s Secret Family is a fresh blend of the 70’s by way of the 90’s rock, soul, country, and jam, emphasizing vocal-driven danceable original songs that bring together generations of sound. In May of 2024, the band made their national radio debut on NPR’s Mountain Stage alongside notable acts like Keller Williams and Bettye Lavette. DC Music Review called them one of their “New favorite acts” following an energitc performance at 2024’s DelFest. The band was awarded a creativity grant from the Maryland State Arts Council to produce their debut full-length album PLOT (Play.Loud.On.Turntable) which was released in Fall 2024. In the three years since their formation they have shared the stage with Fastball, The Spin Doctors, Cabinet, Joan Osbourne, and Cris Jacobs.”
Check them out here: Video
JB Stalnaker and Tim White
Local duo JB and Tim will be taking the stage to amuse us all during Saturday’s Mad Hatter Tea Party Caving Unfestival.
Timmy White and JB Stalnaker have played together as a duo and in various bands for more than two decades. Their 20-plus years of playing together has helped them to craft an entertaining blend of musicianship. From singer/songwriter tunes to blues, rock, country, and everything between, Timmy and JB provide a bit of something for everyone to listen to and enjoy.
The Darkside Experience: A Tribute to Pink Floyd
Saturday night at the Pavilion, The Darkside Experience leaves the mid-Atlantic theatre circuit for one Wunderland OTR bucket-list special night presenting the legendary album “Dark Side of the Moon” cover to cover, followed by several other Wunderland-endorsed Pink Floyd songs, all in a dreamy concert/dance format that makes us get bigger and smaller without requiring “eat me” cake, “drink me” pishsalver potion, nor actually “taking a bite” from one side or the other of a magic mushroom. Then, by command of The Red Queen, before our very eyes, The Darkside Experience transforms into full dancing mode with a second set of classic rock dance tunes to make the Cheshire Cat smile while getting the White Rabbit on time to boogie on the dance floor.
“Based out of Southwest Virginia, The Darkside Experience is a veteran group of musicians determined to meticulously recreate the sonic imprint and feel of the Pink Floyd experience. Bound by a background that represents that of Pink Floyd, The Darkside has quickly established itself as the preeminent tribute in the region, an immersive live Pink Floyd performance incorporating the visual elements and covering the full breadth of the classic studio library. The repertoire includes the entirety of Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and a burgeoning selection from the Wall and early pre-Darkside work of the Syd Barrett era, Meddle, and More.”
Check them out here: Video
The Jugbusters
The Jugbusters are a mountain string band who have spent the last decades inspiring dancers with their good-time sound that brings together the big energy of old-time music with the classic swing of country. After their early albums, “Live at the Rex” and “Keep the Crows Out” (re-mastered and re-released on bandcamp), they produced two studio albums, full of originals and featuring their unique sound. The CDs “No Easier Way” and “Honky Tonk Hymnal” are available on many streaming services. Don’t miss your next chance to kick up your heels and fly away, flat-footing and two-stepping with: The Jugbusters!
Check them out here: Video
Buzzz City
Buzzz City is a loose confederation of caver-musicians who have played group performances for years at OTR. They formerly played at their campsite, at Cooters, or wherever they could. In recent years, Buzzz City performed at the First Aid Station as a thank-you to First Aid and to raise money to fund medical supplies. And from there, the ‘Band-Aide’ (get it?) fundraiser was born. Since 2017, Buzzz City has performed its Band-Aide benefit at the Pavilion, where they have proven to be a big hit (not to mention the money raised for the First Aid Station)! This year’s performance once again will immediately follow the Sunday Awards Ceremony at the Pavilion, and once again will be a benefit for the First Aid Station. You’ll hear lots of good old-timey songs, including their crowd favorite, The OTR Anthem!
NOTE: Any amplified live event NOT scheduled in the OTR Guidebook must be approved prior to OTR by the OTR Chair as a courtesy to our scheduled performers and to ensure the enjoyment and safety of ALL fellow OTR attendees. If you would like to be considered to perform at OTR in the future, please contact the OTR Chair to express your interest.